Football
12 August, 2026
Inspired by Simmo, Thunder gets the win
Buoyed by what their coaching director described as a "magic highlight" for the club, the Thunder secured their finals place by defeating the Eagles on Saturday.
With club defending veteran Simon 'Simmo' Clugston celebrating his 250th game with the Thunder, the side were able to claim the win 13.15 (93) to 7.11 (53).
There was a lot on the line heading into the match, with both sides competing to stay in finals.
A loss for the Eagles would have meant their dream of continuing on after the regular season was finished, while a loss to the Thunder would have created a chance they could miss out on finals, depending on other game results at the end of the 18 rounds.
The result means the final five teams to contest finals are now settled, with Ararat, the Saints, Stawell, Nhill and Thunder all advancing, although the exact positions could change still.
The Eagles got off to a fast start and were up by 11 points at the end of the first quarter, but encouraged by the message from coaching director Jake Bridges at the break, the Thunder held the advantage by five points at half-time.
A 5.5 quarter, compared to the opposition's 2.0, meant Southern Mallee were able to take a 28-point lead into the final quarter, before the Thunder continued on their way and recorded the 40-point win.
For the losing side, Ben Hanna and Billy Stokes battled hard all day, while Sam Hanna contributed a couple of majors.
For the home side and winners, better players included Jai Kennealy and William Page, while Kai Sheers was impressive in the forward line with four goals.
Bridges summed up the performance as a significant high for the club, particularly with Clugston's milestone.
"It was a magic highlight for the day and a great occasion for everyone involved," Bridges said.
"Playing the way we did was all led by the players' efforts and energy."
Admitting his side were a little slow at the start, the coaching director said his message at quarter-time was pretty simple.
"We needed to lift our intensity and pressure and get back to playing the way we know we can," Bridges said.
"We wanted to be more connected with our ball movement and, importantly, more relentless with our defensive method."
Quarter two was a much better reflection of that, Bridges said.
"We started to win more contests, applied better pressure and were able to control territory," he explained.
"That gave us the opportunity to play our game and build some momentum."
The quarter after half-time opened the match up, and the coaching director said he thought the Thunder's ability to keep working for each other was pleasing.
He said they were able to maintain pressure, move the ball with purpose and make the most of opportunities.
"To have a handy lead going into the last was reward for that effort," Bridges said.
"Ultimately, it was really pleasing to bank the win and get back to playing some decent team football.
"After last week the response from the group was important, and they should take some confidence from the way they bounced back."
While according to PlayHQ, Kennealy and Page were best on ground, Bridges praised plenty of contributors who played their roles well.
But he said also pleasing was the team element.
"We looked more like ourselves and played some solid team footy," Bridges said.
"It was a great day for the club but there are still plenty of things for us to take from the game and plenty we need to continue to improve."